Fall 2001 Mechatronics Final Project

Engine Control Unit

Al-Khalique Hamilton Michael Hughes Lucas Loriot Paul Lowe

Table of Contents
Goals & Improvements Deliverables Sensors Injector Control Speed Control Engine Control Unit Conclusion Demonstration

Project Goal

Create an Engine Control System (ECU), for a four-stroke, five HP, Briggs & Stratton engine This includes:
Replacing the fuel carburetor by a fuel injector system Developing manual and automatic speed control of the engine

Former characteristics

Carburetors characteristics:
Problems starting at low temperatures High emissions Low fuel efficiency Difficult to maintain in adjustment

Engine control characteristics:

No automatic control No temperature check Impossible to optimize the engine

Improvements

Injector System:
Easier starting at low temperatures Increased fuel efficiency Self-adjustment Lower emissions Flatter torque curves

Engine control:
Automatic and manual speed control Temperature check Possibility to optimize the air/fuel ratio

Deliverables

Engine Stand Fuel Delivery System:

Fuel pump Fuel pressure regulator Fuel injector

Carburetor Modifications:
Throttle valve Choke Air temperature sensor (MAT)

Deliverables (2)

Custom Intake Spacer:

Fuel injector socket Tap for the engine vacuum sensor (MAP)

Intake Brackets
Support the intake spacer

New Exhaust

Sensors

RPM Sensor:
Placed on the engine shaft Delrin piece wheel Optical encoder

Manifold Absolute Pressure

(MAP) Sensor Placed on the intake spacer Monitors the engine vacuum

Manifold Absolute Temperature (MAT) Sensor

Thermistor Placed on the throttle body

Sensors (2)

Engine Temperature Sensor:

Thermistor Placed on the housing of the engine block

O2 Sensor:
Evaluates the air/fuel ratio Engine works best for a special value of this ratio Needs to be heated first

Injector Control

Sprays atomized fuel into the intake Is controlled by a pulse width that opens and closes the injector valve Pulse width is calculated by the HC11 for every cycle of the engine, using MAT and MAP values The pulse width can be modified to enrich the air/fuel mix when:
Engine is accelerating or decelerating When the engine starts up or is cold

Speed Control System

Engine speed: is directly connected to the amount of air/fuel mix that goes in the intake. This quantity is controlled by the throttle valve Servomotor:
Linked to the valve so that it is controlled by the HC11 Controlled by pulse width of input signal Values of the signal are set so that valve ranges from closed to wide open.

Speed can be controlled:

Manually Automatically

Manual Speed Control

Value of desired speed by linear potentiometer The system is open-loop: the HC11 converts directly the desired speed to a pulse-width for the servomotor. This sets the throttle valve to a certain angle that determines the speed.

Automatic Speed Control

Value of desired speed is set digitally by the user. The system uses a feedback loop: the HC11 compares the desired speed to the actual speed to modify the pulse-width. The value of the servomotor displacement was limited to increase stability and prevent damages. A PD controller is set in the feedback loop to increase the settling time and reduce the static error of the engine speed.

Engine Control Unit

The Engine Control Unit

HC11 micro controller board Main circuit board *Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Five Switches Speed Control Potentiometer Slot for PC HC11 Serial Interfacing

Liquid Crystal Display

Connected to LCD Port on HC11 Shows values of MAP, MAT, and engine speed & temperature, oxygen sensor, and pulse width of injector allows user to input manual enrichment factor, the desired RPM, the type of speed control (manual or automatic), fuel pump & instrumentation power on.

Control Panel

Utilizes five switches

Switch 1 enables the user to SCROLL between screens on the LCD The other two switches, 2 (UP) and 3 (DOWN), enable the user to change program variables and switch the relays on and off A fourth switch is used to instantly kill the engine by shorting out the flow of electricity to the spark plug, thereby discontinuing spark firing A fifth button is set to reset the HC11 board.

Conclusion

A complete Engine Control Unit (ECU) was designed Encompasses both a Fuel Injection System and a Speed Control Unit Both systems controlled by individually by the HC11 Microprocessor Uses different electro-mechanical parts which make up the Mechatronic System

Acknowledgements
Dr. Charles Ume TA: Hai & Akio Mr. Sterling Skinner The People of the Electronics Lab The Junkyards across Georgia The ME6405 Family